Smalltalk Autumn 2015 | Page 27

Worcester and Droitwich Branch women really want to know how they are “progressing” and in this case you may decide that a VE is a positive thing for you. But consider what you‟ll feel if your dilation isn‟t as much as you‟d hoped, given that it doesn‟t actually mean much anyway! Provided that there is some progression, given plenty of time, while mum is managing ok, and baby seems well, what‟s the problem? VEs can also be useful for checking on the position of your baby if there is good reason to feel that his or her position isn‟t optimal. However, again, what will you do with that information? Changing position by listening to what your body is saying to do can help a baby to move into a better position, and you don‟t need to know where you baby is to do this if you are able to just move freely as you want to. Not On Your Back – unless your body clearly tells you that‟s where you feel best! At no other time in our lives would we accept that someone else has autonomy over our body. When we are giving birth, nothing changes. It is STILL our own body, still our own choice what happens to it and our own choice about what interventions, if any, are right for us. Birth may not always be how we want it to be. We are incredibly lucky to live in a time and place where we have the ability to choose to accept obstetric interventions when needed. But don‟t ever forget – we always have the right to choose or decline what is offered to us in birth. That is the part of our birth plans which can never be taken away from us. Worcester and Droitwich Branch Autumn 2015 27